A Plain and Simple Christmas by Amy Clipston Page A

nodded while forcing a smile. “I’m certain we will.”
    “Call me when supper is ready,” David said, stomping through the family room toward the stairs.
    Kathryn glanced at Lizzie. “Would you and Ruthie please set the table?” While her two younger daughters headed for the kitchen, she turned to Amanda. “Now he knows.”
    Amanda nodded, her cheeks still glowing red. “He was very angry. I made it worse, didn’t I?”
    Kathryn shook her head. “No, you didn’t make it worse, but this wasn’t the way I wanted him to find out.”
    Amanda’s lower lip quivered, and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry, Mamm.”
    Kathryn touched Amanda’s arm. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You were right to talk to me about it if it bothered you.”
    “I didn’t know he was standing there until it was too late,”Amanda said with a sniff. “He must’ve come in quietly and heard us talking.”
    “I’m certain he did.” Kathryn gestured toward the door. “Come help me make the dumplings. The ham loaf smells like it’s almost done.”
    Amanda stood and walked with her toward the kitchen. Kathryn was certain that David would be quiet during supper and leave the discussion of Anna Mae’s visit for bedtime. Dread filled Kathryn at the thought of facing him. She hoped David would understand why she’d gone against his wishes.
    Kathryn ran a brush through her waist-length hair and studied her reflection. Clad in her nightgown, she glanced toward the door for the fourth time. The clock on the wall told her it was nearly nine, David’s daily bedtime.
    He’d barely spoken to her during supper and had only given terse answers to her lame attempts at fostering a conversation. Instead of conversing with her, he’d spoken to the children about their day. After supper, David had disappeared outside with Junior, which they often did in the evenings. However, she’d heard Junior come back into the house and disappear into his room awhile ago, but she’d not seen David.
    Stepping over to the window, she moved the dark green shade and peeked outside. The barn and backfield were dark with no sign of a lantern.
    The bedroom door squeaked open and banged shut, and Kathryn jumped with a start.
    “Sorry,” David mumbled, scowling. “I didn’t mean toslam it.” He stepped over to his bureau and pulled off his suspenders.
    Her heart pounded as she sat on the edge of the bed. “Where were you?”
    “In the barn,” he muttered, shucking off his shirt.
    She pushed an errant lock of golden blonde hair behind her shoulder. “What were you doing in the barn?”
    “Thinking.” He changed into his pajama pants. “Actually, trying to figure something out.”
    The tension between them was suffocating her. She had to apologize to him and make things right. She took a deep breath. “David, I—”
    “Would you like to know what I was trying to figure out?”
    “David, please—”
    He stood before her and held a hand up to keep her from talking. “Let me finish.”
    Knowing she wasn’t going to earn a chance to speak her mind, Kathryn crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Go on.”
    “I was trying to figure out why you would go behind my back and do something I’d asked you not to do, especially after we’d discussed it several times.” Still glowering, he pulled up a chair and sat before her. “I’d asked you not to invite Anna Mae. I told you, no I promised you, that we would visit her this spring. I also said that once we visited her and Kellan, we would make plans for her to come back to the community to visit the family. From what I remember, you said that would be a gut plan.”
    Kathryn opened her mouth to defend herself, and he again held up his hand to stop her.
    “Please let me finish.” He sat up straight. “What I’ve been trying to figure out is why you went against my wishes. What makes it even worse is that you not only broke a promise and went behind my back, but you involved our kinner in your